


Catch Of The Day

by UnidentifiedAnon



Category: Captain America - All Media Types, DCU, Marvel, The Avengers (Marvel) - All Media Types
Genre: Bucky Barnes Birthday Drabble, Cheesy, F/M, Fluffy, I am deeply ashamed, I don't think I've ever written something so fluffy, Sappy, Tumblr, a splash of DC, haha - Freeform, kinda love at first sight?, no spoilers today sweetie, or cheesy, p.s. pay no mind to the title, prompt, seriously, splash, you'll get it after you read this
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2017-07-22
Updated: 2017-07-22
Packaged: 2018-12-05 14:40:19
Rating: General Audiences
Warnings: Creator Chose Not To Use Archive Warnings
Chapters: 1
Words: 1,852
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/11580138
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/UnidentifiedAnon/pseuds/UnidentifiedAnon
Summary: 7. "You are not cutting my hair! No one is cutting my hair! Nobody even look at my hair!"45. "Well this isn't the WORST vacation we've ever had."





	Catch Of The Day

Bucky didn't think this was normal. He knew he was relatively new to the ways and happenings of the 21st century, but he was still pretty sure that mermaids weren't normal.

And if Steve's reaction was anything to go by? He was right.

Everyone had decided to take a team vacation to Tony's place in Florida and everything had been going great; they were two days in and they hadn't run into anything that would require a call to SHIELD.

Until Sam suggested some deep sea fishing. 

Bucky should've known Wilson was going to ruin this vacation for him.

It was only Steve, Sam, Clint, Thor, and himself; the rest of the team either didn't have the patience for fishing or had decided to do something else. Everything had started out great; just a couple of guys, drinks in hand, poles in the water. Until Bucky's fishing line was pulled.

"Quick! Start reeling it in!" Clint exclaimed, grabbing a net.

"Whattaya think I'm doin' here?" Bucky snapped, straining to reel in the (apparently massive) fish.

"Use your other arm! That hunk of metal has to be good for something!" Sam piped up.

Bucky shot him a glare but did as he said anyways, the plates in his arm shifting as it went to work.

"Is there supposed to be blood in the water like that?" Thor quietly asked Steve, brows furrowing in concern as the normally blue water took on a red hue.

"I-" Steve started, tilting his head in confusion.

"I think I see something!" Clint shouted excitedly, leaning over the side of the boat to look into the water.

Suddenly something launched itself over the side of the boat, causing all of the heroes to jump back. As their eyes widened and their jaws dropped, the woman on the deck continued to squirm and snap her teeth at the fishing line wrapped around her body.

"Is that...?" Steve asked, letting his question hang in the air.

"I..." Clint frowned, not sure if he wanted to answer the unasked question.

"It seems Asgard and earth might not be so different after all!" Thor said, smiling joyfully.

Suddenly they were all talking at once; Steve was on the phone, Thor was talking about Asgardian mermaids, Clint was singing 'Under The Sea', and Sam was panicking.

Bucky took a moment to take in the creature. Her hair was magnificent (Bucky now understood why mermaids were often depicted grooming themselves), her skin was still wet with salt water giving her a dewy glow, but her most striking feature was her long, graceful fishtail. The mermaid carried a bag that looked like it was woven from seaweed, it’s contents jingling every time she thrashed. There were several scars along her right side and lower back (one of which Bucky could distinctly recognize as having come from a harpoon), but Bucky tried to keep his gaze away from her nude torso as best he could; mermaid or human, he was still a gentleman. The mermaid continued to struggle but it only made the fishing line tighten around her and cut into her skin.

"Yeah," Steve murmured into his phone, "I think we might have a situation."

"Widely respected and feared..." Thor explained.

"DARLING IT'S BETTER DOWN WHERE IT'S WETTER!" Clint wailed.

"What does this even mean?!" Sam asked, "Are we being attacked from the damn ocean now?!"

The most beautiful voice cut through the chaos, silencing them all.

"No, but if you don't free me this instant, I shall unleash the wrath of the seven seas upon you!"

Thor and Sam each took a large step back (as if that would protect them), Clint picked up the next verse, and Steve had resumed his phone conversation with a slightly panicked tone.

Bucky glared at them and knelt down, unable to watch her bleed out as the fishing line broke her skin.

"My name's Bucky, to help you I need you to stop struggling." Bucky said, crawling slowly across the deck towards the mermaid as if she were a frightened animal.

"Why? So that you can skin my tail?" The mermaid said, sending Bucky a harsh glare.

"No, more so because if you bleed out on this deck my buddy's gonna have me out here with my toothbrush, getting the stains out of the wood." Bucky chuckled, slowly pinching a piece of fishing line in between two fingers and carefully beginning to untangle it.

"So ... you plan to release me?" The mermaid said, tilting her head to the side (Bucky tried not to notice how cute she looked when she did that).

"Well you're not exactly what we were fishing for." Bucky smirked, "Though I can't say I'm disappointed; you're quite the catch, doll."

A blush flooded the mermaids cheeks and a laugh bubbled out of her throat as she tossed her head back, "That was truly awful."

Bucky snickered, "It was pretty bad, wasn't it?"

"I wouldn't - OW!" The mermaid cut off with a wince as Bucky pulled a bit too harshly.

"I'm sorry, it seems to be caught in your hair. Hang on, I think we may have some scissors in one of the tackle boxes. Hey! Sam!" Bucky turned away but was stopped as the mermaid gripped his arm tightly.

"You are not cutting my hair! No one is cutting my hair! Nobody even look at my hair!" The mermaid said, eyes wide with panic and her grip tightening (it probably would've been painful if she hadn't grabbed his metal arm).

Bucky raised his hands in a gesture of surrender, "Okay, it's okay! We won't cut it out. But I'm going to need you to be very still so I don't hurt you or pull out your hair, okay?"

After gaining a nod of approval from the mermaid, Bucky set to the tedious task of untangling the line. The mermaid continued to shoot him suspicious looks, but eventually relaxed as he worked his fingers through her hair while he untangled the line. 

“So, you are a fisherman then?” The mermaid asked, her voice much softer than when she’d previously spoke. 

“Ah, no ma’am, ‘fraid not. I’m just on vacation.” Bucky replied. 

“Hey Buck, we’re heading below deck, holler if you need anything.” Clint said, following Sam, Thor, and Steve to the lower deck,leaving Bucky alone with the mermaid. 

“My apologies for having ruined the festivities.” The mermaid said, looking away shamefully. 

“Aw, doll, you didn’t ruin nothin’.” Bucky said hurriedly, tilting her face back in his direction with the tip of his finger on her chin, ”Well this isn't the WORST vacation we've ever had. Nah, if anything you’ve made these “festivities” much more interesting.” 

The mermaid smiled softly, “Thanks, that’s very kind of you to say.”

“I’m not just saying it; I mean it.” Bucky said sincerely. 

The mermaid stared into Bucky’s eyes; memorizing every shade and fleck of color in them, in hopes that she’d never forget such kind eyes. 

Bucky coughed, breaking her gaze. As much as he liked having the beautiful woman’s attention, he knew better than to get attached. 

“So,what do you do for a living if you’re not a fisherman?” The mermaid asked after a long moment of silence.

I’m a … uh, soldier.” Bucky said; he doubted the mermaid knew of the Avengers and he wasn’t keen on claiming the title of hero to begin with. 

“You don’t sound too confident there, Soldier Bucky.” The mermaid commented. 

“It’s a long story.” Bucky replied. 

“I’m not going anywhere anytime soon.” The mermaid said, raising a brow. 

“Fair enough…” Bucky smirked, then went on to explain the least gruesome version of his story that he could. 

“So that is why your arm is metal?” The mermaid asked, tracing the plates of his metal arm curiously.

“Yeah; I mean, it’s not something I’m necessarily proud of, but it is a part of me.” Bucky replied, blushing as she touched his arm. 

“You must have the spirit of a warrior to have survived all of that. Where I come from, you would be celebrated and cherished.” The mermaid smiled brightly, and Bucky tried to ignore the fact that his heart skipped a beat at the sight. 

“Maybe I should visit you sometime then.” Bucky laughed. 

The mermaid’s eyes lit up at the possibility, “I would like that very much.”

“So what about you?” Bucky asked after a moment of silence, “How did you come to get tangled in my fishing line?”

“I got into a fight with my parents; I’ve known what I was destined to do my entire life, trained for it. But that doesn’t mean I want it. For once I just want to be a little normal; I want to make friends, paint my scales, wear something elegant, experience my first kiss, walk among humans for once in my life instead of avoiding them entirely ... I know it must sound bratty or unreasonable to some. But my destiny, my purpose; it’s all I’ve ever known, why shouldn’t I be allowed to know more?” The mermaid said, “My parents don’t think so, they are adamant on me fulfilling my purpose. So after confronting them, I decided to just start swimming. I didn’t really know where I was going or even when I was going to stop, which resulted in me not paying attention and getting caught in your line.”

“If it’s any consolation, you’re all untangled now.” Bucky smiled, holding up all the bloodied fishing line. 

“I don’t think I can ever thank you enough, Soldier Bucky.” The mermaid smiled, stretching freely. 

“Aw, it’s nothin’-” Bucky started, but was cut off as the mermaid captured his lips with her own in the most dazzling kiss Bucky had ever felt. Bucky’s arms wrapped around her waist, pulling her flush against his chest to deepen the kiss. 

“Buck!” Steve coughed, glancing away with a blush and causing the mermaid and the soldier to pull back slightly. 

“What?” Bucky asked dazedly, honestly having forgotten that there were other people on the planet, let alone the boat. 

“I just got off the phone with SHIELD, we’ve been ordered to take her back to shore.” Steve said, turning towards the front of the boat. 

“What? You said you’d let me go!” The mermaid exclaimed, gripping Bucky’s t-shirt in fear. 

“Steve, we can’t take her to SHIELD. You know what will happen to her if they get a hold of her.” Bucky said, his grip tightening on the mermaid protectively. 

“It’s not SHIELD that wants her.” Steve said, “It’s Bruce Wayne.”

Suddenly the sky began to darken, rain and hail falling in torrents, the waves roared, and the water bubbled. Bucky looked down at the mermaid questioningly as she let out a string of expletives. 

“Don’t worry, it’s just a little storm.” Bucky said, attempting to shield her from the hail as she was still injured. 

“No, it’s not.” The mermaid said, sadness lacing her voice and filling her eyes. 

As if on cue, a deep, booming voice spoke from the sea. 

“Y/N CURRY! YOU WILL STOP THIS FOOLISHNESS AND COME HOME. NOW!”

**Author's Note:**

> Okay so my secret's out: I'm a sucker for the mermaid AU. 
> 
> Kudos if you caught the ending; might make a sequel if anyone's interested.
> 
> I know it's been a few forevers since I posted anything so I hope you guys enjoy this (rest assured, I will be posting updates on my other works)! I always love talking to you guys so feel free to comment below or catch up with me on tumblr!
> 
> I made up a prompt list for Bucky's birthday, so that's where the prompts came from (the prompt list can also be found on my tumblr - might use it again when I re-open my req's so I'll let you guys know if I do in case you wanna check it out).
> 
> unidentifiedanonfics.tumblr.com


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